Great Consequences
by Dannylionthe1st
Summary: Every action or inaction has a consequence. Valerie learns that the hard way. Wanting to fix her mistake, she has to commit an act of treason by awakening a known terrorist to assist her. But the consequences of this action are far greater than she could have ever imagined. KhanXOC
1. Introductions

**A/N: Hey guys. Thanks so much for taking the time to read at least this chapter and at least giving me a chance to intrigue you. Hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

Admiral Marcus couldn't believe how lucky he was. It had been just under a month since the Romulan, Nero, had attacked them, destroying Vulcan and nearly destroyed Earth. The Federation had been unprepared for the attack. Then again, the Romulan was from the future. But Marcus didn't care about that fact. In the end, from the future or not, the Federation had been ill equipped to handle such a fight. But next time they would be prepared.

The doctors, in the enclosed room on the other side of the glass, worked carefully and steadily to revive the man in the cryotube. One mistake and the man would die. They had found him, less than a week ago, along with his crew of seventy-two people. But he was the only one Marcus was willing to awaken. After all, having a seventy-two augmented humans running loose was not a good idea.

Marcus clenched his fists. He had good reason not to trust the man. If his hunch was correct, then he was about to awaken Khan Noonien Singh. According to history, he once controlled a good quarter of Earth during the Eugenics Wars. He was eventually deposed and most of those like him were killed or sentenced to death. He had escaped, and now he and his crew were back on Earth.

But Marcus needed his expertise. There was no one else Marcus could turn to who would be able to develop weapons for the use of war. It wasn't the Federation's motto. Although, it may soon be. Since the discovery of the Klingons, Marcus was sure that a war was coming.

There was only one fact Marcus could take solace on. If Khan didn't cooperate then Marcus had no problem disposing the man and his crew. There would be no repercussions, because no one knew about them. He already had Khan's new identity ready, whose disappearance could be credited to being relocated anywhere. After all, Khan wasn't the only project Marcus was working on. Nor was he the only one they were bringing back from the dead.

A beeping sound caused Marcus to look away and pull out his communicator from his pocket. He muttered and let out a sigh. It was a reminder from his secretary that he had to attend a party hosted by Admiral Bennett, in honor of the newly appointed Admiral Pike and Captain Kirk. There had been many of these formal parties for the two over the last week, after everyone was given time to recover from the recent attack. But Marcus had been too busy to attend most of them, leading certain people to ask him questions he would rather not answer. So he had his secretary give him information about events that he needed to attend.

Marcus straightened his jacket before leaving the room, letting the doctors do what they do best. On the bright side, he knew that the Enterprise would be leaving soon for a brief mission to survey a planet. And it was time that Admiral Pike learned to get used to his new status. Which meant he could focus all of his attention on his projects without worry.

* * *

"Ah! Captain Kirk. How does it feel to be a hero? I bet you can't wait to explore the stars with your newly repaired ship," a captain said to the already bored Captain James T. Kirk.

Jim smiled at the man and nodded his head not really in the mood to talk. He wasn't good with formal celebrations. And as much as he was glad and happy to finally get his own ship, he still had to wait for it to be repaired before they could leave on their mission.

The last month seemed to be filled with formal celebration after formal celebration as captains and admirals congratulated him. Jim liked celebrating, but this was a different kind. One he didn't really care too much about. It didn't help that the majority of them seemed mandatory. Not that any of the invitations said that. It was Admiral Pike who told him that the parties were for him and it would be rude to decline.

Jim's eyes scanned the people in the room. Everyone was dressed in their finest and it was easy to spot the difference between those in Starfleet and normal civilians. He focused his attention on the women, wondering a simple question. Which one of them could he persuade to go partying with him later? Hell, if he could get two the more the merrier.

"You're looking like a lion ready to pounce, Jim," Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy said cautiously as he looked around the room. "I would be careful. The people here aren't just family of captains but of admirals, too you know! You've got to be careful, especially if you want to further your career."

Jim rolled his eyes. "You worry too much, Bones," he said.

"Yeah, sure. _I _worry too much," Bone said, shaking his head. "You know, I was thinking-"

Jim patted Bones on the chest, stopping him mid-sentence. "Hold that thought, Bones," he said not bothering to look at his friend. "I'll be right back."

"Be careful, Jim," Bones whispered. He knew it didn't matter. There were just some things that he could not be talked out of.

Jim made a beeline toward the woman who he spotted across the room. She wore civilian clothes and stood in the corner at the opposite end of the room, holding a full glass of champagne. She looked uncomfortable and bored. "These events can be so formal," he said as soon as he placed himself right next to her.

She looked up at him in amusement. "Yes, but you can't detest formal occasions."

"And why is that?"

"Very good free food and drinks," she said all too seriously.

Jim blinked then laughed.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you trying to say you aren't enjoying this party?"

"From where I was standing it looked like you shared my sentiment," he said. "And this isn't a party. I can show you a real party if you're up to it." He winked and she blushed, making him smile.

"And what makes you think I'm not with anyone?" she teased.

"Are you?" he simply asked.

Her eyes narrowed slightly before she laughed, shaking her head. "I like it. Simple and straight question. Technically, I came here with my father. But I'm not _with _anyone. And I doubt my father would mind too much if I ditched him, since it was his idea that I socialize. Val by the way." She finished, holding out her hand.

"Jim," he said, shaking it.

A frown crossed her face as she looked at him. She opened her mouth to ask a question but was interrupted.

"Ah, _Captain_ Kirk," Admiral Christopher Pike's deep voice said. His wheelchair stopped beside Val, and the young woman looked down at Pike then back at Jim. She looked confused.

Silently, Jim cursed the older man for interrupting them. Their conversation was going well. Now it was going to turn awkward and she would leave. Meaning he would have to go hunt her down again and find something else to talk about.

"Captain Kirk?" she asked in shock. "The Captain Kirk?"

Jim gave her a cocky smile as she stared at him in awe. Or maybe the admiral would help him out after all. Her arms wrapped around him in a powerful hug, surprising him. Jim blinked at Christopher who looked down for a second before looking back up.

"Thank you," she whispered into Jim's ear.

"Val," Christopher soothed as she pulled away.

Jim wasn't sure how to respond as she wiped the few tears that trickled down her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Christopher reached out and touched her hand. She squeezed his hand before looking back at Jim. Her other arm found itself around him again, hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she said again. "I'm sorry. I don't normally get emotional. Thank you so much for saving my father."

"Your father?" Jim asked in surprise, looking from one to the other. Now that she mentioned it, he could see some similarity although clearly, she got most of her looks from her mother. Her eyes were brown in contrast to her father's blue eyes. But her hair was brown and a little wavy, similar to his without the grey of course. "I didn't realize you had a daughter, sir," he said quickly, trying to recover from the initial shock.

"I've been grounded since I was seven," she stated. "Can't leave the house. Only on special occasions."

Christopher snorted, shaking his head. "Oh no. I learned my lesson long ago. Keeping you locked up in any room would be asking for trouble."

She laughed, nodding her head eagerly at that. "That's true."

"Which is why I've made sure to keep you very busy with work."

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean I don't have time for fun," she said, winking at Jim.

Jim smiled back, but inwardly shook his head. He liked and respected Captain Pike. There was no way he could hook up with the man's daughter. Unless…

"Have any other children I don't know about?" he asked, making sure to sound as if he were teasing.

Val looked at her father intently as if curious about the question as well.

"Valerie is my only child," Christopher said, almost with a warning tone. He eyed Jim suspiciously who raised his hands in innocence.

"We were just talking, Admiral," Jim said softly.

Val looked at her father then at Jim before rolling her eyes. "You would think I'm sixteen again," she muttered to herself.

"Admiral Pike," a woman said pleasantly, as she and the three people she was joined their group.

Val took that moment to slowly move away as her father and the three people started to talk. Jim quickly followed her. "I didn't mean any disrespect," he said as soon as they were out of earshot.

She laughed, shaking her head. "Have you ever met a father who wasn't protective of his daughter?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Memories of past romances quickly filled his head. He smiled back mischievously and shook his head. Before he had learned how to make his reputation, he had had a few run-ins with the fathers of girls whose hearts were broken by him. Now most girls knew the kind of man he was. Although, that didn't stop many of them from trying to convince him otherwise.

"My father may disapprove of some of my choices in life, but they're mine." She met his eyes and he realized that if he wanted she would go with him that night.

Butterflies filled his stomach and for once he wasn't exactly sure what to do. Maybe it was the thought that she was Christopher Pike's daughter that made him nervous. He looked into her eyes. Did she expect more from him? She did realize that he was not ready to settle down or go steady with anyone. He just got his command ship, and she clearly wasn't in Starfleet.

Inwardly, he cursed. She gave absolutely no indications on what she was thinking. She was just as bad as a Vulcan.

"Val!" a man said, allowing Jim more time to think. He looked up and blinked in surprise when he spotted Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus.

"Sir," he said, standing at attention.

"At ease, son. This is your party after all," Admiral Marcus said with a smile. "And you're not on duty. I'm glad that you are a part of Starfleet. A captain like you is strongly needed in our fleet. Especially now."

"Thank you, sir," Jim said, shaking the Admiral's outstretched hand. "I'm glad I was able to stop Nero and save Cap… I mean Admiral Pike."

Marcus smiled warmly at him before turning his attention to Valerie. "Valerie. I'm a bit surprised to see you here."

She chuckled and nodded her head. "And I'm surprised that Carol's not here. This is her kind of party. Guess we traded places."

Marcus let out a small smile. "Yes. I'm sure you're aware that she's been pretty busy. But, I am glad you're here." He looked at Jim expectantly.

Jim cleared his throat then smiled. "If you'll excuse me. I should probably mingle some more. Don't want to offend the host.," he said, trying not to look or sound awkward.

"Will you be at Shing'ka's later tonight?" Val called out, talking about a new and popular nightclub that had just opened up in town.

He nodded in response, making her smile.

"I may show up and finish our conversation," she said with a wink.

He gave her his best smile before walking away.

"How's your father?" Marcus asked once Jim was out of earshot. "In your opinion, do you think he's ready to get back to work?"

"I'm not that kind of doctor," she said.

He nodded. "I know, but you are his daughter. And I know that if our situations were switched, Carol would know if I were ready for duty or not."

Val smiled then shrugged. "Even if I said I didn't think he was ready you know him. He'll still start working first thing Monday. He's not flying a ship. I think he'll be fine."

"That's good," he said with a sigh of relief. "As for Kirk. I know he rescued your father and you feel grateful to him, but he has a very strong reputation with the ladies in the academy. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Val's eyes sparkled as she shrugged again. "I'm not asking the man to marry me. And I know about his reputation. You don't have to worry about me. My heart is safe." She patted her chest and giggled.

Marcus shook his head. "Just be careful, Val," he said, before turning and walking toward another crowd of people.

"Admiral!" Val said a little too loudly, stopping him in his steps.

He turned to face her, clearly confused that she called him Admiral. "Admiral?" he asked, taking two quick steps to stand in front of her again. "When did you start calling me admiral instead of uncle?" he asked, cocking his head. Although they weren't related he had known her since she was a baby. He had visited her often during her younger years, bringing Carol over so that the two could play together. It had been easier on her to call him uncle instead of sir. Although they didn't see much of each other over the past few years, she had never failed to call him uncle.

Val shifted uneasily.

Marcus steeled himself, preparing for whatever she had to say. He had a feeling he knew, but he wasn't going to make it easy on her. If she hesitated long enough then maybe she wouldn't bring it up. It'd be easier for him to deny her later.

Clenching her fists returned his gaze, but her eyes were oddly cold. "I want to work on the Karrian project."

"Karrian project?" he asked, feigning ignorance. His heart dropped. He had hoped she didn't know.

She crossed her arms and looked at him stubbornly.

He sighed and shook his head slightly. "Since when has a project in Starfleet interested you?"

"Since that project has been interested in my mother's research."

He glanced over at Chris. The newly appointed admiral was busy talking to other people to notice the gaze, and thankfully too far away to hear them.

"My father doesn't know," she stated, forcing him to look back at her.

"And how did you come across this information?"

"One of your science officers can to my work, asking me some questions about my mom's work. Wanted to know if she kept any other notes that weren't recorded publicly. You thought Carol told me huh? I asked her later, but she couldn't give me much. Said you started a bunch of new projects and you're letting her oversee some. She said they were unwilling to give her much information on that project. She was going to talk to you about it and asked me not to say anything. But whatever they're doing, I want in on it."

"Val," Marcus said softly, shaking his head.

"What? Is it illegal?" she snapped.

His eyes narrowed, but he shook his head. "Of course not," he said.

She crossed her arms. "Then bring me in," she said stubbornly. "You and I both know that no one has as much knowledge or insight into her work than me. No one's cared about it until clearly now. You may have some smart people working for you, but you and I both know that my knowledge with her research will prove invaluable." She continued to look at him stubbornly, clearly not willing to take no for an answer. "And if you refuse I'm going to tell my father," she quickly added.

He raised his eyebrows again in surprise and looked at Chris before looking at the man's daughter. "I cannot tell you how long this job will last. It may be weeks, it may be your whole life," he said softly. "You're not Starfleet. Which means that there are stricter rules for you. One very important one is that if you join in the project then you won't be able to say anything to anyone about it, including your father. No one, not even your father will be able to help you if you disobey any of the rules."

That last bit shocked her and she took a step back. She looked over at her father then back up to Marcus. "When do I start?"

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, not looking at her. Finally, he nodded his head, clearly agreeing to something. "Pack your things. You will be living on sight temporarily. I will have some men take you there on Monday. Enjoy your weekend, Miss. Pike."

She slowly lowered her arms and shifted uneasily. There was surprise in her eyes. She had expected a bigger battle with him. "Thank you," she managed to say.

He sighed and waved his hand at her. "We'll see what you think later."


	2. They Meet

Valerie sat alone in the laboratory, rubbing her temples as she stared at her tablet laying on her legs; her feet up on the table. She had a headache, but she wasn't ready to go talk to the medical doctor. It had been a month since she had managed to bullshit her way onto the Karrian project. She had basically told Admiral Marcus that she had more knowledge about her mother's theories than anyone else. But that had been a lie. Truth be told, she knew just as much as anyone who read her mother's notes. She had bluffed in making it seem that her mother had told her more. And he had believed her. After all, if he hadn't she wouldn't be here. It was too late to change her mind now.

Marcus had been true to his word. Bright and early Monday morning Valerie found herself in a shuttle that took her to London. She had to sign way too many contracts and the wording on some frightened her, even after Marcus' warning on what they would say. There was no telling how long she'd be assigned and if she ever left she couldn't speak to anyone about her experience. That would be considered treason. After she signed, she had been set up with a temporary apartment and given special instructions on how to reach the underground facility.

Valerie felt a chill run down her spine and rolled her shoulders. What she had done had hit her like a ton of bricks the first day she had started. That night her father had called her and the two had talked. It was then that she had realized what she had truly done. Being a veterinarian, she had been able to talk to her father about anything. And now she had to lie to him. Her cover story was easy. She was going to school to further educate herself for her career. But she hated lying to him. She felt like a teenager again.

Standing up, she made her way toward a round frozen egg of, what they were calling, the Karrian species. Karrian… she still wasn't sure if the project was a play on the word carrion or named after Dr. Kerry Christian, the head scientist. Either way, she refused to call the species Karrian. After all, it was her mother, not him, who had found the species. And she hadn't named them in hopes of finding out what they called themselves. So she was sticking to her mother's ideas.

Valerie's hand shook slightly as she reached out and touched the case surrounding the frozen egg. The first completely intact physical proof that they had of the arthropodan species. Her mother would have gone crazy with excitement. The egg was one of the many that had become the newest addition to their project only a few days ago. And no one was allowed to touch or go near them except for Dr. Christian and his two favorite assistants. Valerie didn't believe that one of Admiral Marcus' teams just happened to find the frozen intact remains of a queen and three of her eggs on a random off-world planet with no ties to any civilization. But there wasn't much she could do about her suspicions.

She stared at the basketball size egg inside its container and gulped. She had disobeyed orders. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. And since her team had gone home for the evening, Valerie had taken one of the eggs to another lab that was unoccupied. Her only goal was to extract a bit of DNA from the egg and have the computer analyze it and composite a picture of what the creature would have looked like. It would have been done eventually by Dr. Christian. But his primary interest, for the moment, was on the completely intact skeletal remains of what was a queen.

She tapped the table then scratched the back of her head. She was partly nervous but far more excited. She hadn't expected the computer to take so long. Which meant a higher likelihood of her getting caught. But as long as the egg was safe she had nothing to worry about. And she had done everything to make sure that the egg's temperature didn't change, keeping it frozen. Not for fear that it would come back to life because that was impossible, but fear that she'd ruin the egg. At least her excitement outweighed her nerves.

Her eyes returned to the egg. It was strange to think that the creature inside was part of a species that was capable of space travel. After all, the Federation had yet to come across any sentient alien life that wasn't humanoid. Where had this species come from? And what had happened to them?

She couldn't help but wish her mother was there. Her mother, Dr. Paulina Vega, had found evidence of the existence of the non-humanoid species and even theorized that they had advanced to the point of space travel. Unfortunately, her discovery had been on Vulcan. The Vulcans didn't want anyone prying into their history, especially since it meant going through their dark times and holy grounds to get to her answers. So, during the beginning years of her career, Dr. Vega had traveled to various planets that were a part of the Federation, collecting data and evidence to support her theory. Problem was, now looking back on all of her notes, she had documented everything that she had believed was relevant from crude drawings and writings to stories that had been modernized. She didn't even bother trying to disprove them, instead, she believed that the aliens were able to manipulate and adapt their DNA to what they needed.

Now Valerie's job was to sift through all the information and try to put it in order. It was hard. Although there was some similarities between some of the paintings from each planet, there were still noticeable differences. Even the paintings from one planet the creatures varied in shape and looks. She had tried to go by similar body types, but even those varied from planet to planet. Some pictures were similar, but would have noticeable difference like some would have wings while others would have extra limbs instead. It was almost as if her mother had decided that if it looked like a large bug or had hardened skin then it was a part of the species. And it wasn't like she could go to her mother and ask.

Her mother had developed what doctors had believed to be early dementia. Problem was, no modern treatment worked. Whatever was wrong with her mother it had worsened when Valerie had turned two. Christopher had returned from a brief mission, only to find Paulina catatonic. He had taken her to the hospital, hoping the doctors would be able to do something. She had yet to return home. Valerie had done her best to visit her mother at least once a week if not more. But it didn't matter how many times she visited. Her mother had yet to acknowledge her existence.

Valerie tapped her hand on the table, staring at the wall. She hated when her mind wandered toward her mother and the mysterious illness. She stood up and stretched her tired muscles, allowing her mind to return to her task at hand. The DNA analysis would help her out in the long run. It would make it easier for her to separate everything. Today, this egg, tomorrow the next. If she was lucky, then each egg would have a different creature inside. If not, at least she'd be able to see what the creatures would have looked like.

The sound of the door opening caused her to quickly turn, looking rather guilty of doing something wrong. She immediately clasped her hands behind her back and cleared her throat. "Can I help you?" she asked the man standing there. Her voice wavered a little, but she forced her face to stay neutral.

For a brief moment, he appeared startled to see her then his features changed, making him look nonchalant. "I had believed this room was unoccupied," he said.

"I was never told it was off limits," she quickly said. "Just needed a place to be alone and clear my thoughts." She took in a deep breath and nearly gagged. That was a bad idea.

There was a reason why the room, in fact the whole area, was empty of people. Someone's project had gone horribly wrong, causing the entire corridor to smell. Surprisingly, she had come to realize that the room that smelled the least was the one in the middle of the hallway. Still, every once in a while she'd catch a whiff of dead fish or rotten eggs. The smell wasn't exactly consistent. And no amount of cleaning was able to get rid of it yet. Which meant that everyone avoided the corridor as if it were a plague.

She frowned as her eyes quickly studied him. "Wait a minute! You're not security. What the hell are you doing around here? No one comes here." She couldn't help but sound angry. Despite the smell, the room had been her little sanctuary from prying eyes.

He raised his eyebrows at her hostility, but didn't say anything. He turned to leave but her voice stopped him.

"Wait!" she called out, feeling very guilty. "This, umm… well the other rooms smell really bad. I'm almost done. Once the computer is finished I'll leave and you'll have the whole room to yourself."

"And what makes you think I'm looking to be alone?"

His deep voice caused shivers to run up and down her spine. "Well," she said, laughing nervously. "You were as surprised to see me as I was to see you. And no one dares to enter this corridor. Oh… ummm… Dr. Valerie Pike, by the way. But you can call me Val." She reached her hand out toward him.

He hesitated for a brief moment before accepting and shaking her hand. "Commander John Harrison," he replied.

"Commander," she said softly to herself. "Can I just call you John? I'm not a part of Starfleet."

His jaw tensed slightly as he thought about his answer.

The computer beeped, interrupting the awkward moment. Val couldn't help but let out a large smile as she swiped her hand along her tablet, bringing up the results.

"Wow," she whispered. She quickly placed her tablet on the table, causing the surface to light up. She typed in commands on the clear screen at the edge of the table and looked up. An image appeared.

John edged closer, curious about her excitement.

She magnified the image of a bug-like creature. "She would have been a queen," she whispered in awe. The computer placed the dimensions of the creature.

Val gulped. Only a small part of her was upset that the egg contained a baby version of the skeleton. It's segmented body had eight legs total and was long with a chitinous exoskeleton. On each side of its body showed clear signs of where the egg sacs would have been. It's body ended with a flat head that was covered by what looked like a long cap, that ran from the top of the head down to the middle of its back. It had two large mandibles close to its jaw.

"Doesn't look smart enough to be a space traveling species, huh?" She couldn't help but ask. The adult skeleton had given her the same question. But there were other creatures in the drawings, some that had some similar human traits, like opposable thumbs. She knew her voice held disappointment. Although the creature was big, it was difficult to imagine that its head was large enough to house a brain capable of smart thinking. Maybe they were just very large bugs after all.

"Space travel?" John asked.

She glanced back at him, catching his brief wince. It was as if he regretted his question. Of course, he wanted her gone already. "You clearly don't want me around," she said, quickly turning off the image. She clipped her tablet to her side before grabbing the egg with both hands. "Just, umm… this is my room. So, if you're in here before me next time, know that I won't be backing out and going into another room."

She hurried out so that he wouldn't say anything to her. He had shown surprised by her last words.

John didn't follow after her. Instead, he pulled up the image that she had just been looking at. Space travel? It was difficult to imagine that such a creature was capable of space travel. What wasn't difficult to imagine was what Admiral Marcus wanted with the thing. John, rather Khan, suspected that the species had a high birthrate, since it clearly had a queen. Control a queen, control an army of beings. No wonder the admiral wanted such a large ship made with no need for a large crew. The creatures could run rampant and he wouldn't have to worry about human casualties. And if their weapons weren't strong enough, the admiral was trying to make sure that they could teleport onto a ship while in warp.

Khan shook his head. What did it matter to him what the admiral wanted to do? His one and only priority was finding a way to get his people and leave Earth. He already had several plans in mind. Most of them dealt with him getting his people and taking the new ship that the admiral was having him design. He didn't have exact plans of what would happen next. All he knew was that the admiral would pay for waking him and using his people as hostages. But after that, who knew? Earth didn't want him or his people. Why stay and try to conquer a world that didn't want them? With the ship they could go anywhere. Maybe find a suitable planet to inhabit and build their civilization.

First, he had to figure out where the admiral was hiding his people. Then he had to figure out how to get his people from wherever they were to the ship that they had barely begun building without anyone noticing. As much as he wanted to wake them up it was too risky. It was best to wake them up once they were all safe.

Khan moved the picture away and brought up new different images. These pertained to the security feed and building schematics. Valerie had been correct that the room was the most tolerable in the entire corridor. And he would know thanks to his enhanced senses and abilities. He would have to keep an eye out for her, an obstacle he hadn't expected, but one he didn't mind. For now, she wasn't a threat and he would deal with her if she ever became one. Besides, he couldn't switch rooms now. He had spent the better part of a week hacking the systems and making sure that anything done in this particular room would go unrecorded.

Khan let out a sigh as he brought up more files and images. He had a lot to do and time was ticking. There was no telling what the admiral would do once Khan was no longer needed.

* * *

Admiral Marcus rubbed his mouth as he watched another set of scientist work on, what they hoped was, a computer terminal of an alien ship they had salvaged. At least, they thought it was a computer terminal. It was the only thing on the ship that they had found that was salvageable. The terminal was roughly ten feet tall, three feet wide, rectangular in shape. At the six foot mark was a round sphere that looked almost like a giant eyeball. They had yet to figure out how to power the damn thing to turn it on. He wanted to know exactly who owned the ship and what it was capable of.

He wasn't sure if he was more nervous or excited. If it was ever discovered that he had possession of part of the ship and the Karrian remains he would be in a lot of trouble with the Federation, especially the Vulcans. But, seeing as how he had already made a deal with one devil it was easier to make this other one. Although, in his mind, this deal was much less risky.

The ship and the frozen remains had been on a planet that belonged to the Vulcans. The planet was practically uninhabitable, the temperatures constantly reaching well below zero. Yet, the Vulcans made it clear that the planet was not to be visited and the ship and everything around it was not to be disturbed. Due to Vulcan's destruction, all the colonies had been temporarily recalled in favor of re-establishing their species. Giving Marcus the window he needed to send his private security to the planet and take what they thought was useful. They came back with more than he had expected.

There was an old Earth saying, "don't put all your eggs in one basket", and he had taken that saying to heart. He had multiple projects at the moment. Slowly, he was whittling them down till all that were left were the useful ones. There were already a few projects that were on the "chopping block" so to speak. The Karrian project had been one of them until recently. Right now, they had practically hit the jackpot.

While Dr. Christian and his team examined the frozen remains of the queen and her eggs, Marcus had another team working on perfecting the cloning process, which had been banned shortly after the Eugenics Wars. With that perfected, they'd soon have an army of large bug-like creatures. And if Paulina's theory was correct and the creatures were extremely adaptable. Marcus shook his head. He couldn't fathom what could be done with the creatures. Which meant few Starfleet causalities in the war that was to come. The Klingons wouldn't know what hit them. There'd probably be a small backlash once people knew what he was using the bugs for. But in the end, everyone would realize that these creatures were just clones of a being that had long since been dead. And instead of real people dying in the inevitable war it would only be creatures and the enemy.

And that was all just Plan B. This in front of him was Plan A. They had yet to figure out how old the ship they had found was. But one thing was for sure, it wasn't Karrian by design. The scientist hadn't seen what he had. His team had brought back footage of the ship and old notes made by the Vulcans when they had first examined the ship. The climate on the planet had been less extreme then but still cold. He had his brightest people working to turn on the computer, and, if necessary, translate the alien language.

If they could get into the computer running then hopefully they'd be able to find schematics and all sorts of useful information about this species and their technology. Then he'd be able to return Khan to his sleep and not have to worry about the man. Although Khan hadn't started any trouble yet, Marcus still didn't trust him . And he never would. Once he was sure that Khan was no longer useful, he'd destroy him and his people, forever ending the mistake that their ancestors had made.

The lights blinked, bringing Marcus out of his thoughts. He looked up then around.

"Sir!" woman shouted as the machines around her beeped. "The computer… it's… there's an unusual power spike coming from it! It's turning on."

Marcus's eyes widened with surprise as he leaned in closer.

"How's that possible?" Commander Samuel Mendez, the leader of the team, shouted as he rushed from one computer console to the other.

"I don't know, sir," the woman stammered. She, along with other members of the team, frantically pressed and moved buttons or slid their fingers across their flat screens.

Marcus focused his attention on the round sphere. The sides of the terminal began to light up, slowly making its way toward the sphere. Marcus gulped as the energy settled in the sphere, lighting up the middle as if it were a pupil. Light came out of it and for a brief moment the image of a human woman stood in front of them. She flickered then reappeared, fully visible as if she were standing in front of them. She wore a Starfleet uniform, showing the rank of captain. Her blonde hair was tied up in a tight ponytail. She stood at attention, her eyes slowly wandering the room then focusing on Marcus. She saluted him and opened her mouth, but disappeared. The terminal had lost all power.

"Get her back online," Marcus commanded.

"Sir, this machine takes a lot of power. We're going to have to do a lot of rewiring to and we don't…"

"Commander," Marcus said in an authoritative way as he spun around and looked at the young commander. "Do what has to be done to get that computer up and running. Make any modifications that you need to power it up. Just make sure that it can't access any of our systems."

Samuel hesitated for a second then nodded his head. "Yes, sir," he said.

Marcus walked out of the room. It would take them a while to get the computer on and running. He couldn't believe his luck. In all of his speculations, he hadn't thought that the ship could be Federation. The future Spock had refused to divulge any information about events that were to come and technology. And the Vulcans left him alone, despite all that had happened. Although the ship hadn't look Federation, it also had no alien markings on it. And without the computer working, there was nothing telling them what it was. But now that the computer had turned on for a brief moment it had shown them the look of a Federation female captain. How else would the computer have had that image stored in its database unless it was Federation? Had the Vulcan's known all along? That question didn't matter.

Soon, very soon everyone would know the strength and might of the Federation. And he wouldn't have to worry about repercussions. Maybe he had been too hasty in awakening Khan. Just as quickly as his hopes had been lifted they suddenly fell. What if the computer had future security features. Even if the Future Spock knew he wouldn't help them. It could years if ever to be able to crack the codes.

Marcus sighed. It was a pleasant thought while it lasted. Still, he wasn't going to abandon the project. There was still much to do.

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**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews/favs/alerts. So glad people are interested in my story. Hope you all continue to enjoy. I'm super excited for what I have planned for future chapters. I'll try not to make you guys wait so long.**


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